4 reasons why trading Demaryius Thomas made sense for Broncos

Those might have been among the things you said to yourself when you found out that Demaryius Thomas had been traded on Tuesday, right? Why would a team trade such a superstar?

Fans of the Denver Broncos had an emotional response to the news that the former first-round pick had been shipped elsewhere, but before we call for Elway to be removed from office, it’s important to understand why this decision was made.

There was more than one reason. At the end of the day, professional football is a business and all (or at least most) decisions are made in the interest of what is best for business, not what makes everyone feel good.

With that in mind, here are the reasons why the team made this move.

1. Age

(Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports)

Thomas is 30 years old and will turn 31 on Christmas Day. In football terms, that is getting up there. When players hit 30, especially at skill positions such as wide receiver, their production usually starts to slow down.

He’s not ancient, but his best days are most certainly behind him as it seems he’s lost at least one step. Does that mean he won’t succeed in Houston? Not necessarily. They might figure out a way to get the most out of what he has left.

However, his time in Denver was up as his level of play was clearly declining. Many fans saw Emmanuel Sanders as the team’s true No.1 receiver.

2. Production

(Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)

His production was falling off as well and though his numbers weren’t bad, they had gone down every season and took a sharp drop off when Peyton Manning retired.

His receptions went from 111 in 2014, to 105 in 2015, to 90 in 2016 to 83 last season. This season, he had just 36 receptions in eight games. On top of that, he dropped way too many passes. It seemed he was good for at least one crucial drop per game.

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